WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.640 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today we are wading 00:00:02.640 --> 00:00:05.919 into a subject that carries immense historical 00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:08.779 weight and modern -day urgency. We are focusing 00:00:08.779 --> 00:00:10.900 on a fascinating intersection of historical memory, 00:00:11.119 --> 00:00:13.880 international diplomacy, and the ongoing fight 00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:16.760 against global intolerance. Yeah, when we look 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:18.739 back at historical tragedies, there is often 00:00:18.739 --> 00:00:20.879 this lingering assumption that remembering is 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:23.620 merely a passive act. You know, something done 00:00:23.620 --> 00:00:26.280 quietly in museums or by reading through historical 00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:29.059 archives. Right. But what we are exploring today 00:00:29.059 --> 00:00:31.899 upends that idea completely. Remembering is actually 00:00:31.899 --> 00:00:34.700 a highly organized, deeply significant global 00:00:34.700 --> 00:00:38.079 effort. It's an active, deliberate process used 00:00:38.079 --> 00:00:41.140 by world leaders to shape a more secure geopolitical 00:00:41.140 --> 00:00:43.710 future. And our mission for this deep dive is 00:00:43.710 --> 00:00:45.990 to really understand how the world collectively 00:00:45.990 --> 00:00:48.409 attempts to memorialize one of history's darkest 00:00:48.409 --> 00:00:51.170 chapters and how those monumental efforts evolve 00:00:51.170 --> 00:00:54.890 right alongside modern geopolitics. We're basing 00:00:54.890 --> 00:00:56.869 this on a really comprehensive Wikipedia article 00:00:56.869 --> 00:00:58.670 detailing the history of the World Holocaust 00:00:58.670 --> 00:01:01.090 Forum. So, OK, let's unpack this. Let's do it. 00:01:01.170 --> 00:01:03.460 The World Holocaust Forum. which is also known 00:01:03.460 --> 00:01:06.079 as the Let My People Live Forum, is an ongoing 00:01:06.079 --> 00:01:09.540 series of massive international gatherings aimed 00:01:09.540 --> 00:01:11.900 squarely at preserving the memory of the Holocaust. 00:01:12.260 --> 00:01:14.540 To understand its origins, we really need to 00:01:14.540 --> 00:01:16.340 look at the World Holocaust Forum Foundation. 00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:19.719 It was established in 2005 under the chairmanship 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:23.219 of Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor. He was the president 00:01:23.219 --> 00:01:26.500 of the European Jewish Congress. Exactly. And 00:01:26.500 --> 00:01:29.359 the foundation was built with a clear dual goal. 00:01:29.799 --> 00:01:33.340 First, Preserving Holocaust memory. Second, and 00:01:33.340 --> 00:01:37.519 crucially, combating modern xenophobia. It links 00:01:37.519 --> 00:01:40.280 the darkest lessons of the past directly to the 00:01:40.280 --> 00:01:42.799 active threats of the present. Yeah, that dual 00:01:42.799 --> 00:01:44.780 purpose was highly visible right from the jump. 00:01:44.900 --> 00:01:47.000 The First World Holocaust Forum took place in 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:50.439 2005 in Krakow, Poland. And the timing carried 00:01:50.439 --> 00:01:53.379 heavy historical resonance, marking exactly the 00:01:53.379 --> 00:01:55.980 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz 00:01:55.980 --> 00:01:58.310 -Birkenau concentration camp. And looking at 00:01:58.310 --> 00:02:00.370 the attendee list gives a really clear picture 00:02:00.370 --> 00:02:02.609 of the sheer scale of this initiative. Oh, absolutely. 00:02:02.849 --> 00:02:05.590 The guest list reveals the logistical and diplomatic 00:02:05.590 --> 00:02:08.909 weight in that room. Over 20 official delegates 00:02:08.909 --> 00:02:11.469 gathered, led by their respective heads of state. 00:02:11.729 --> 00:02:14.669 We are talking heavy hitters here. The president 00:02:14.669 --> 00:02:17.810 of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. The 00:02:17.810 --> 00:02:21.030 president of Israel, Moshe Katzav. The president 00:02:21.030 --> 00:02:23.949 of Poland, Alexander Kwasniewski. And the vice 00:02:23.949 --> 00:02:26.349 president of the United States, Richard Cheney. 00:02:26.699 --> 00:02:29.219 Getting those four leaders alone into the same 00:02:29.219 --> 00:02:32.180 room at the same time for a singular purpose. 00:02:32.460 --> 00:02:34.620 It requires an immense amount of diplomatic coordination. 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:37.680 It does. And it generated widespread media coverage, 00:02:37.939 --> 00:02:41.039 effectively putting the forum on the global map 00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:43.520 right out of the gate. It set a firm precedent, 00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:45.759 I think. It demonstrated to the world that Holocaust 00:02:45.759 --> 00:02:48.080 commemoration would not be relegated solely to 00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:50.800 historians or local municipalities. No. It was 00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:52.979 established as a priority at the absolute highest 00:02:52.979 --> 00:02:55.930 levels of global government. And that momentum 00:02:55.930 --> 00:02:58.409 carried directly into the following year, expanding 00:02:58.409 --> 00:03:01.289 both in location and scope. Right. So in 2006, 00:03:01.650 --> 00:03:04.610 the Second World Holocaust Forum moved to Piv, 00:03:04.610 --> 00:03:07.389 Ukraine. This was under the auspices of Ukrainian 00:03:07.389 --> 00:03:10.409 President Viktor Yushchenko. The occasion was 00:03:10.409 --> 00:03:12.789 the 65th anniversary of the Babi Yar massacre. 00:03:13.069 --> 00:03:16.120 Which is a devastating chapter. It is. And for 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:18.120 you listening who might need a brief refresher 00:03:18.120 --> 00:03:20.740 on that horrific event, Babi Yar refers to a 00:03:20.740 --> 00:03:25.180 ravine in Kiev where in 1941 nearly 34 ,000 Jews 00:03:25.180 --> 00:03:27.860 were murdered by mass shooting in just two days. 00:03:28.080 --> 00:03:30.539 It was a defining moment of what historians often 00:03:30.539 --> 00:03:33.360 call the Holocaust by bullets. And the scale 00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:35.879 of the memorial gathering to honor those victims 00:03:35.879 --> 00:03:39.199 exploded compared to the first year. Over 1 ,000 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:41.219 people from 60 different countries attended. 00:03:41.460 --> 00:03:43.080 And you didn't just have individual politicians 00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:46.139 showing up. You had a unified front. The institutional 00:03:46.139 --> 00:03:48.939 presence was massive. Major Jewish organizations 00:03:48.939 --> 00:03:51.099 like the World Jewish Congress, the European 00:03:51.099 --> 00:03:53.199 Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Congress, 00:03:53.340 --> 00:03:55.360 and the European Jewish Fund were all sitting 00:03:55.360 --> 00:03:57.099 at the same table. Alongside representatives 00:03:57.099 --> 00:03:59.319 from the United Nations, the European Union, 00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:02.080 and the Council of Europe. Yeah. It signaled 00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:04.960 a major shift in international cooperation regarding 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:08.120 memory. So we had this massive coordinated gathering 00:04:08.120 --> 00:04:11.219 in Kyiv. And the tangible outcome of all those 00:04:11.219 --> 00:04:14.460 minds in one room was something called the World 00:04:14.460 --> 00:04:17.120 Holocaust Forum Declaration. What's fascinating 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:19.699 here is how this document encapsulates that dual 00:04:19.699 --> 00:04:22.180 mission we discussed earlier. It wasn't just 00:04:22.180 --> 00:04:24.519 a memorial statement looking backward. It was 00:04:24.519 --> 00:04:26.939 a rigorous call to action. Because it explicitly 00:04:26.939 --> 00:04:29.120 demanded the preservation of World War Two's 00:04:29.120 --> 00:04:31.959 tragic memories. Right. But it tied that preservation 00:04:31.959 --> 00:04:35.120 directly to uniting global efforts in the active 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:38.540 modern day fight against xenophobia, anti -Semitism 00:04:38.540 --> 00:04:41.319 and international terrorism. It effectively takes 00:04:41.319 --> 00:04:44.019 historical memory. And turns it into a policy 00:04:44.019 --> 00:04:46.680 directive. Exactly. And to see how that policy 00:04:46.680 --> 00:04:48.980 directive begins to weave itself into the actual 00:04:48.980 --> 00:04:51.639 fabric of European governance, we have to look 00:04:51.639 --> 00:04:53.800 at a pivotal shift that happened four years later 00:04:53.800 --> 00:04:57.459 at the Third World Holocaust Forum in 2010. The 00:04:57.459 --> 00:05:00.459 2010 forum is deeply interesting from a geopolitical 00:05:00.459 --> 00:05:03.060 standpoint. It returned to Krakow to mark the 00:05:03.060 --> 00:05:05.180 65th anniversary of the Auschwitz liberation. 00:05:05.500 --> 00:05:07.439 And the central theme was creating connections 00:05:07.439 --> 00:05:10.100 between the past and the future, using memory 00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:12.699 to prevent any recurrence of past tragedies. 00:05:12.819 --> 00:05:16.079 Even global leaders who couldn't attend in person 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:18.519 still made sure their voices were part of the 00:05:18.519 --> 00:05:21.660 geopolitical narrative. U .S. President Barack 00:05:21.660 --> 00:05:25.180 Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy both 00:05:25.180 --> 00:05:28.110 sent formal addresses to the forum. stressing 00:05:28.110 --> 00:05:30.430 that the world community must always remember. 00:05:30.769 --> 00:05:33.470 Yes, and they explicitly suggested that this 00:05:33.470 --> 00:05:35.730 collective memory should factor into real -world 00:05:35.730 --> 00:05:38.870 policy decisions. The historical narrative emphasized 00:05:38.870 --> 00:05:42.050 at this 2010 gathering was very specific. It 00:05:42.050 --> 00:05:44.470 was designed as a starting point for a full year 00:05:44.470 --> 00:05:47.290 of commemorative events observing the 65th anniversary 00:05:47.290 --> 00:05:49.750 of victory in World War II. But it deliberately 00:05:49.750 --> 00:05:53.529 aimed to attract global attention to the unparalleled 00:05:53.529 --> 00:05:56.569 united struggle of the Allied coalition against 00:05:56.569 --> 00:05:59.439 fascism. Yeah. It heavily highlighted the decisive 00:05:59.439 --> 00:06:01.600 role of the Soviet Union in the liberation of 00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:03.259 Europe. And bringing that history out of the 00:06:03.259 --> 00:06:05.839 textbooks and into reality, the organizers actually 00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:09.060 hosted two World War II veterans, Ivan Martinushkin 00:06:09.060 --> 00:06:11.920 and Yakov Vinochenko. They were actual liberators 00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:15.009 of Auschwitz -Birkenau. Right. Having them in 00:06:15.009 --> 00:06:18.009 attendance as honorary guests, sitting alongside 00:06:18.009 --> 00:06:20.970 100 European Parliament deputies and other official 00:06:20.970 --> 00:06:24.230 delegations, it fundamentally changes the atmosphere 00:06:24.230 --> 00:06:27.129 of the room. It anchors the high -level diplomacy 00:06:27.129 --> 00:06:30.269 in profound human reality. Absolutely. But the 00:06:30.269 --> 00:06:33.730 2010 Forum also produced a major forward -thinking 00:06:33.730 --> 00:06:36.529 initiative. Right. The main tangible result of 00:06:36.529 --> 00:06:38.990 the 2010 gathering was the announcement of an 00:06:38.990 --> 00:06:41.430 initiative to build a brand -new educational 00:06:41.430 --> 00:06:44.980 and research institution. the Pan -European University 00:06:44.980 --> 00:06:47.459 of Global Security and Tolerance. Think about 00:06:47.459 --> 00:06:49.740 how you typically see governments respond to 00:06:49.740 --> 00:06:52.779 extremism. Usually, the immediate reaction involves 00:06:52.779 --> 00:06:55.160 military escalation, increased surveillance, 00:06:55.420 --> 00:06:57.860 or strict security measures. But here, the explicit 00:06:57.860 --> 00:06:59.899 objective was to assist the international community 00:06:59.899 --> 00:07:02.579 in its struggle for global security by fighting 00:07:02.579 --> 00:07:04.819 extremism proactively through cross -cultural 00:07:04.819 --> 00:07:07.199 educational and instructional programs. They 00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:08.899 literally tried to build a university to fight 00:07:08.899 --> 00:07:11.199 hate. It is a wildly forward -looking outcome 00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:13.579 from an event dedicated... to looking back. It 00:07:13.579 --> 00:07:16.579 is. And that momentum from the 2010 forum is 00:07:16.579 --> 00:07:18.639 exactly what pushed the movement straight into 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:20.600 the halls of power in Brussels over the next 00:07:20.600 --> 00:07:23.860 few years. This is a crucial step in institutionalizing 00:07:23.860 --> 00:07:27.019 memory. By January 2011, on the eve of International 00:07:27.019 --> 00:07:30.139 Holocaust Remembrance Day, the European Parliament 00:07:30.139 --> 00:07:33.339 hosted a major commemoration meeting. coinciding 00:07:33.339 --> 00:07:35.920 with the 66th anniversary of the liberation of 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:38.939 Auschwitz. The guest of honor at that 2011 event 00:07:38.939 --> 00:07:41.639 was Catherine Ashton, the European Union's High 00:07:41.639 --> 00:07:43.579 Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security 00:07:43.579 --> 00:07:46.060 Policy. Bringing her into the Fulbridge's historical 00:07:46.060 --> 00:07:48.800 memory directly with current foreign policy. 00:07:49.019 --> 00:07:51.220 Yeah, and the organizers reflected that deep 00:07:51.220 --> 00:07:53.939 integration. They featured cooperation between 00:07:53.939 --> 00:07:56.379 the European Jewish Congress, the European Parliament 00:07:56.379 --> 00:07:59.279 itself, and Israel's Diaspora Affairs Ministry. 00:08:00.029 --> 00:08:02.810 This institutional relationship deepened in 2012. 00:08:03.470 --> 00:08:05.930 They held the second Holocaust Remembrance Day 00:08:05.930 --> 00:08:08.209 at the European Parliament, patronized by the 00:08:08.209 --> 00:08:10.970 Parliament president. That specific gathering 00:08:10.970 --> 00:08:13.449 was timed to the 70th anniversary of the Wannsee 00:08:13.449 --> 00:08:16.290 Conference and 50th anniversary of the Adolf 00:08:16.290 --> 00:08:19.410 Eichmann trial. Those are two massive contrasting 00:08:19.410 --> 00:08:21.959 milestones in Holocaust history. Right. The onesie 00:08:21.959 --> 00:08:25.600 conference in 1942 was the chilling bureaucratic 00:08:25.600 --> 00:08:28.620 meeting where Nazi officials formalized the so 00:08:28.620 --> 00:08:31.699 -called final solution. Then contrasting that 00:08:31.699 --> 00:08:35.259 bureaucratic evil, the 1961 Adolf Eichmann trial 00:08:35.259 --> 00:08:37.980 served as a watershed moment where the visceral, 00:08:38.100 --> 00:08:41.200 undeniable testimony of Holocaust survivors was 00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:44.440 finally broadcast to the entire world. Timing 00:08:44.440 --> 00:08:47.120 the 2012 Parliament meeting to those two anniversaries 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:50.080 creates a powerful narrative arc from the inception 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:52.559 of the atrocity to the pursuit of justice. And 00:08:52.559 --> 00:08:54.820 this growing relationship culminated in a very 00:08:54.820 --> 00:08:57.580 significant administrative decision. By 2013, 00:08:57.899 --> 00:08:59.759 the president of the European Parliament, Martin 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:02.500 Schulz, declared International Holocaust Remembrance 00:09:02.500 --> 00:09:05.019 Day as an official annual event for the European 00:09:05.019 --> 00:09:07.519 Parliament. It became a permanent, immovable 00:09:07.519 --> 00:09:09.960 fixture on their calendar. Watching an initiative 00:09:09.960 --> 00:09:12.679 grow from a memorial forum in Krakow into a permanent 00:09:12.679 --> 00:09:15.539 mandate in Brussels shows the sheer power of 00:09:15.539 --> 00:09:17.860 organized remembrance. It really does. Here's 00:09:17.860 --> 00:09:19.279 where it gets really interesting, especially 00:09:19.279 --> 00:09:22.000 in how these events are structured to evoke powerful 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:25.419 emotions alongside political action. The Fourth 00:09:25.419 --> 00:09:28.279 International Forum in 2015 marked the 70th anniversary 00:09:28.279 --> 00:09:31.440 of the Auschwitz liberation. This time, it was 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:34.120 split into two parts, held in Prague and at the 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:36.200 Terezin concentration camp in the Czech Republic. 00:09:36.460 --> 00:09:39.139 The context for this 2015 gathering is vital. 00:09:39.340 --> 00:09:42.840 The tone shifted noticeably from purely historical 00:09:42.840 --> 00:09:45.620 reflection to sounding a contemporary alarm. 00:09:45.960 --> 00:09:48.879 The forum was explicitly focused on a terrifying 00:09:48.879 --> 00:09:52.519 present reality. Rising anti -Semitism and intolerance 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:54.919 were actively threatening the survival of Jewish 00:09:54.919 --> 00:09:57.399 communities in Europe at that very moment, and 00:09:57.399 --> 00:09:59.340 by extension, threatening the security of Europe. 00:09:59.370 --> 00:10:02.690 Over 900 guests attended the first part, known 00:10:02.690 --> 00:10:05.070 as the Forum of World Civil Society at Prague 00:10:05.070 --> 00:10:07.450 Castle. They hosted three distinct discussion 00:10:07.450 --> 00:10:09.929 panels focusing heavily on contemporary issues, 00:10:10.190 --> 00:10:13.549 anti -Semitism, neo -Nazism, and religious radicalism. 00:10:13.710 --> 00:10:15.809 The guest list was incredibly diverse, blending 00:10:15.809 --> 00:10:18.309 political power with civil society. You had U 00:10:18.309 --> 00:10:21.190 .S. human rights activist Abraham Foxman, Yale 00:10:21.190 --> 00:10:24.669 historian Timothy David Snyder, and French philosopher 00:10:24.669 --> 00:10:28.070 Bernard -Henri Lévy. sitting alongside politicians 00:10:28.070 --> 00:10:30.769 like the Czech prime minister and the president 00:10:30.769 --> 00:10:32.769 of the Czech Senate. Then the second part of 00:10:32.769 --> 00:10:34.649 the event is where the emotional resonance takes 00:10:34.649 --> 00:10:37.970 over. On January 27th, the Czech president hosted 00:10:37.970 --> 00:10:40.549 the official commemorative ceremony, and they 00:10:40.549 --> 00:10:43.250 deliberately moved the location to Theresienstadt, 00:10:43.389 --> 00:10:47.129 widely known as Terezin. Terezin has a very specific, 00:10:47.289 --> 00:10:50.679 tragic legacy. It was a concentration camp that 00:10:50.679 --> 00:10:53.440 primarily served as a transit station on the 00:10:53.440 --> 00:10:56.059 way to extermination camps. But within those 00:10:56.059 --> 00:10:58.600 walls, an incredible story of artistic resistance 00:10:58.600 --> 00:11:01.779 unfolded. Many of the inmates imprisoned at Theresienstadt 00:11:01.779 --> 00:11:04.639 were renowned musicians, composers, cartoonists, 00:11:04.720 --> 00:11:07.899 and poets. Despite facing starvation, disease, 00:11:08.100 --> 00:11:10.019 and the constant threat of transport to death 00:11:10.019 --> 00:11:12.720 camps, they fought to maintain their art. and 00:11:12.720 --> 00:11:14.759 their humanity. They organized concerts, gave 00:11:14.759 --> 00:11:17.139 secret lectures, and even published an underground 00:11:17.139 --> 00:11:20.460 magazine called Videm. The 2015 forum honored 00:11:20.460 --> 00:11:23.620 that specific legacy in a profound way. During 00:11:23.620 --> 00:11:26.080 the ceremony, the National Philharmonic of Russia, 00:11:26.179 --> 00:11:29.299 featuring 98 musicians directed by Vladimir Spivakov, 00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:32.299 performed the Yellow Stars Concerto by Isaac 00:11:32.299 --> 00:11:34.720 Schwartz. They played this soaring, mournful 00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:37.259 music, while a video about Holocaust history 00:11:37.259 --> 00:11:40.720 played in the background. Then an online minute 00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:43.519 of silence was held. simultaneously linking three 00:11:43.519 --> 00:11:45.899 other concentration camps in mourning. World 00:11:45.899 --> 00:11:48.440 -famous cantor Joseph Malovany and Oscar -winning 00:11:48.440 --> 00:11:51.200 actor Sir Ben Kingsley also performed during 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:53.340 the ceremony. When we examine how that ceremony 00:11:53.340 --> 00:11:56.220 was constructed, we see how art is utilized to 00:11:56.220 --> 00:11:58.580 bridge a very specific gap in human understanding. 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:01.720 Exactly. When discussing the Holocaust, the sheer 00:12:01.720 --> 00:12:04.019 statistics, the millions upon millions of lives 00:12:04.019 --> 00:12:06.600 lost, can sometimes feel abstract or impossible 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:09.220 for the human brain to truly comprehend. Art, 00:12:09.259 --> 00:12:11.179 music, and poetry cut straight through the numbers. 00:12:11.600 --> 00:12:14.480 They bridge the gap between unimaginable historical 00:12:14.480 --> 00:12:17.899 statistics and deeply personal individual human 00:12:17.899 --> 00:12:20.820 tragedy. Hearing a concerto play in the very 00:12:20.820 --> 00:12:23.139 place where musicians were imprisoned reminds 00:12:23.139 --> 00:12:25.980 everyone present of the brilliant, creative human 00:12:25.980 --> 00:12:28.460 lives that were systematically extinguished. 00:12:28.659 --> 00:12:31.139 That ceremony led to a powerful conclusion for 00:12:31.139 --> 00:12:33.399 the fourth forum, where participants adopted 00:12:33.399 --> 00:12:36.539 another formal declaration to combat anti -Semitism 00:12:36.539 --> 00:12:38.879 and hate crimes. Which brings us forward in time 00:12:38.879 --> 00:12:41.649 to the most recent major event in our time. The 00:12:41.649 --> 00:12:44.029 scale and the diplomatic complexities reach an 00:12:44.029 --> 00:12:46.769 entirely new stratosphere. We are moving to the 00:12:46.769 --> 00:12:50.370 Fifth World Holocaust Forum in 2020. This gathering 00:12:50.370 --> 00:12:52.830 took place in Jerusalem, marking the 70th anniversary 00:12:52.830 --> 00:12:55.389 of the liberation of Auschwitz. It was explicitly 00:12:55.389 --> 00:12:58.549 titled, Remembering the Holocaust, Fighting Antisemitism. 00:12:58.870 --> 00:13:02.009 Organized by Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor, in cooperation 00:13:02.009 --> 00:13:05.009 with Yad Vashem, it was held under the auspices 00:13:05.009 --> 00:13:08.289 of Israeli President Rivan Rivlin. And to call 00:13:08.289 --> 00:13:10.370 this event massive doesn't quite capture the 00:13:10.370 --> 00:13:12.850 reality of it. The logistical undertaking alone 00:13:12.850 --> 00:13:15.830 is hard to fathom. 49 high -level delegations 00:13:15.830 --> 00:13:18.889 converged on Jerusalem. The names involved represent 00:13:18.889 --> 00:13:22.840 the apex of global power. Russian President Vladimir 00:13:22.840 --> 00:13:26.159 Putin, U .S. Vice President Mike Pence, French 00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:29.259 President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank 00:13:29.259 --> 00:13:31.600 -Walter Steinmeier, Italian President Sergio 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:34.039 Mattarella. Royalty also attended, including 00:13:34.039 --> 00:13:36.120 King William Alexander of the Netherlands and 00:13:36.120 --> 00:13:38.259 Prince Charles. They were joined by leaders from 00:13:38.259 --> 00:13:41.399 Argentina, Australia, Canada, and dozens of European 00:13:41.399 --> 00:13:43.799 nations. If we connect this to the bigger picture, 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:47.500 any time you gather 49 international delegations, 00:13:47.500 --> 00:13:50.000 particularly featuring heads of state from major 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:52.639 global powers, You are no longer just hosting 00:13:52.639 --> 00:13:54.860 a memorial. You are navigating an incredibly 00:13:54.860 --> 00:13:57.700 delicate, highly volatile web of international 00:13:57.700 --> 00:14:00.100 geopolitics. With an event of this magnitude. 00:14:00.759 --> 00:14:02.960 controversies and diplomatic friction are almost 00:14:02.960 --> 00:14:05.580 inevitable. That friction became very real regarding 00:14:05.580 --> 00:14:08.299 the speaking schedule for the 2020 forum. And 00:14:08.299 --> 00:14:10.580 it is important to note for you listening that 00:14:10.580 --> 00:14:12.759 our goal today isn't to validate either side 00:14:12.759 --> 00:14:15.600 of this geopolitical dispute, but merely to look 00:14:15.600 --> 00:14:17.980 at the official stances provided in our research 00:14:17.980 --> 00:14:21.200 to show just how tense the politics of memory 00:14:21.200 --> 00:14:23.980 can get. The conflict centered around the Polish 00:14:23.980 --> 00:14:28.220 speaking slot or rather the lack thereof. Polish 00:14:28.220 --> 00:14:30.799 President Andrzej Duda made the firm decision 00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:33.600 to refuse to participate in the event entirely. 00:14:33.940 --> 00:14:36.379 Based on the official statements, President Duda 00:14:36.379 --> 00:14:38.720 refused to attend because he was not given the 00:14:38.720 --> 00:14:41.620 opportunity to speak at the forum. He specifically 00:14:41.620 --> 00:14:44.539 criticized the event organizers for giving a 00:14:44.539 --> 00:14:46.759 prominent speaking slot to Russian President 00:14:46.759 --> 00:14:49.710 Vladimir Putin. The necessary context here is 00:14:49.710 --> 00:14:51.950 that in the weeks leading up to the forum, President 00:14:51.950 --> 00:14:54.309 Putin had publicly criticized Poland regarding 00:14:54.309 --> 00:14:56.750 its historical record during World War II. Right. 00:14:56.809 --> 00:14:59.309 From the Polish perspective, attending a global 00:14:59.309 --> 00:15:01.450 forum without the ability to publicly respond 00:15:01.450 --> 00:15:03.929 or to present their own historical narrative 00:15:03.929 --> 00:15:06.450 on that massive stage was deemed unacceptable. 00:15:06.889 --> 00:15:09.350 This position drew immediate international support. 00:15:09.929 --> 00:15:12.629 President Gitanas Naseda of Lithuania formally 00:15:12.629 --> 00:15:15.649 endorsed President Duda's position and, in a 00:15:15.649 --> 00:15:18.929 striking act of diplomatic solidarity, also withdrew 00:15:18.929 --> 00:15:21.009 from the summit. On the other side of this diplomatic 00:15:21.009 --> 00:15:24.029 equation, Yad Vashem, the co -host of the event, 00:15:24.230 --> 00:15:27.409 issued a press release on January 7, 2020, to 00:15:27.409 --> 00:15:29.370 officially explain their decision -making process 00:15:29.370 --> 00:15:31.970 regarding the speaking schedule. Yad Vashem stated 00:15:31.970 --> 00:15:34.110 that a Polish speaker was not considered necessary 00:15:34.110 --> 00:15:36.649 based on the specific thematic framework they 00:15:36.649 --> 00:15:38.960 had chosen for the addresses. They explained 00:15:38.960 --> 00:15:41.419 that it was, in their view, especially appropriate 00:15:41.419 --> 00:15:44.039 that the leaders addressing the event represented 00:15:44.039 --> 00:15:47.580 the four main powers of the Allied forces. Their 00:15:47.580 --> 00:15:50.080 rationale was that these were the specific forces 00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:52.879 which ultimately liberated Europe and the world 00:15:52.879 --> 00:15:55.720 from the tyranny of Nazi Germany. So you have 00:15:55.720 --> 00:15:58.259 these sharply contrasting viewpoints. Poland 00:15:58.259 --> 00:16:00.779 and Lithuania felt marginalized and historically 00:16:00.779 --> 00:16:03.879 slighted, particularly in light of recent geopolitical 00:16:03.879 --> 00:16:06.960 tensions with Russia. Meanwhile, Yad Vashem asserted 00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:09.139 a structural logic based on highlighting the 00:16:09.139 --> 00:16:11.720 major allied powers of World War II. It perfectly 00:16:11.720 --> 00:16:14.159 illustrates how fraught the politics of global 00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:17.379 remembrance can be. Even an event entirely dedicated 00:16:17.379 --> 00:16:20.039 to unity, mourning and fighting modern hate can 00:16:20.039 --> 00:16:22.639 instantly become a flashpoint for modern geopolitical 00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:25.620 tensions. It highlights the immense responsibility 00:16:25.620 --> 00:16:28.759 placed on the organizers. Every single decision 00:16:28.759 --> 00:16:31.860 who is invited, who sits where and crucially, 00:16:31.919 --> 00:16:35.139 who is handed a microphone carries profound diplomatic 00:16:35.139 --> 00:16:38.000 weight. Absolutely. So what does this all mean? 00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:40.639 We've traced this incredible journey from 2005 00:16:40.639 --> 00:16:43.779 to 2020. We've seen the World Holocaust Forum. 00:16:44.379 --> 00:16:47.299 grow from memorial gathering in Krakow into a 00:16:47.299 --> 00:16:50.419 massive, complex international institution. An 00:16:50.419 --> 00:16:53.080 institution that genuinely tries to balance solemn, 00:16:53.220 --> 00:16:56.320 deeply emotional remembrance with urgent, modern 00:16:56.320 --> 00:16:58.960 -day political realities and policy goals. The 00:16:58.960 --> 00:17:00.820 biggest takeaway here is that remembering the 00:17:00.820 --> 00:17:04.119 Holocaust is not and cannot be a passive endeavor. 00:17:04.299 --> 00:17:07.380 It requires active, ongoing, coordinated effort. 00:17:07.869 --> 00:17:09.890 Whether that takes the form of drafting international 00:17:09.890 --> 00:17:12.549 declarations against hate crimes, proposing cross 00:17:12.549 --> 00:17:15.109 -cultural universities to fight extremism, or 00:17:15.109 --> 00:17:17.410 navigating the incredibly shifting tides of global 00:17:17.410 --> 00:17:19.890 diplomacy to get 49 nations in a room together, 00:17:20.269 --> 00:17:22.869 memory is hard work. It is work that inherently 00:17:22.869 --> 00:17:25.309 ties the past to the shifting landscape of global 00:17:25.309 --> 00:17:27.250 diplomacy. It leaves us with something really 00:17:27.250 --> 00:17:29.750 important to think about. When the leaders of 00:17:29.750 --> 00:17:32.549 the world gather to remember history, the way 00:17:32.549 --> 00:17:36.000 that memory is organized, who hosts? who speaks, 00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:38.839 and what is highlighted can be just as telling 00:17:38.839 --> 00:17:41.220 as the history itself. That's a great point. 00:17:41.400 --> 00:17:43.640 It raises a really provocative question for you 00:17:43.640 --> 00:17:45.859 to ponder on your own. As the last remaining 00:17:45.859 --> 00:17:48.599 survivors and liberators inevitably pass on, 00:17:48.759 --> 00:17:51.259 how will the politics of memory change the way 00:17:51.259 --> 00:17:53.339 future generations understand these historical 00:17:53.339 --> 00:17:56.119 events? When the firsthand witnesses are gone, 00:17:56.539 --> 00:17:58.599 Who gets to shape the narrative of remembrance? 00:17:59.079 --> 00:18:01.940 That is the pivotal question historians, politicians, 00:18:02.140 --> 00:18:04.279 and everyday citizens will have to grapple with 00:18:04.279 --> 00:18:06.880 in the coming decades. Thank you so much for 00:18:06.880 --> 00:18:09.259 joining us on this deep dive. We hope it gave 00:18:09.259 --> 00:18:10.940 you a new perspective on how the world attempts 00:18:10.940 --> 00:18:13.519 to honor the past while navigating the incredibly 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:16.759 complex present. Keep asking questions and stay 00:18:16.759 --> 00:18:18.640 curious. We will see you next time.